Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon 2006 - REVIEW

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. What this genre needs is (figuratively speaking) fresh meat for fans to sink their teeth into. We've been so bombarded with remakes... oh I'm sorry the new term is "reboot"... lately that we've lost faith. Well, I can't really speak for every genre fan so I guess I should say I've lost faith. It's not only remak... er, reboots... it's the lack of quality. Most of the big budgeted production that have come out lately have been dull and boring or just overall crap. Hollywood horror appears to have lost it's shine. But never fear because there is a hero in our midst and his name..... is..... Leslie Vernon.

In a world where supernatural killers like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger are real, journalist Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) and her crew have been given the opportunity to join the next great slasher, Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel), as he plans to seek his revenge on the town of Glen Echo. The legend of Leslie Vernon is this... There once was a boy, spawned from a vicious rape, who murdered his parents. The angry townspeople, thinking the boy was evil, cast him over the falls and into the icy river never to be heard from again. Well sorta. Taylor and her crew film Leslie, documentary style, as he meticulously plans his murder spree. When the big night comes, things take a sinister, dark turn, and their documentary becomes much less important when the tables are turned.

Baesel's character is so well written and he does a spot on performance transitioning in and out of his dual personas. He said in an interview that he got inspiration from the Silence of the Lambs character Dr. Hannibal Lecter and I could see that. I read reviews that said he seemed too cartoonish but I didn't get that at all. To me he came off as likeable and funny and charasmatic. Goethals also brings her A game to the screen. The chemistry between their characters is solid and at times heartfelt. Even the teens gave an impressive performance.

Hmm, what to say about this film? I've been sitting here for an hour now going over it in my head and can only think of two words... ORIGINAL and PERFECTION... I guess I'll work off of those two words. For all of you in the middle of an eye roll right now, c'mon. How many horror films have you seen that totally deconstruct the basics of the slasher sub-genre? Ever wanted to know why the victims of this type film always get caught? How bout why the lowly virgin is always the one to live? Pretty much every question that you can come up with about the stupid actions of slasher victims is addressed in this "mockumentary" style horror flick.

Scott Glosserman and David J Stieve managed to write a script that not only pokes fun at this particular genre but did it respectfully. Non-horror fans probably won't get the inside jokes of having Kane Hodder appear as Freddy Krueger's one time neighbor or having Robert Englund show up as a "Dr. Sam Loomis" type character or even the cameo by the legendary Zelda Rubinstein. But fans of the genre will definitely pick up on all the subtle and not so subtle inside jokes.

I read several reviews comparing this film to those of the Scream franchise. I don't know what the hell they've been smoking but I don't get that AT ALL. I feel this film is in a class of it's own. I don't think I've ever seen one quite like it. It's original and intelligent and classy. The twists are a bit predictable and the gore is minimal but I'd say it's definitely a must see for any horror fan. For those who say it's not a believable story or that say it's asking too much to believe slashers are real, go pull that stick out of your ass and stop over analyzing EVERYTHING. They call it fiction for a reason.

Fell 2010 - REVIEW

There are lots of advantages to attending indie film festivals. You get to watch new, creative films come to life on the big screen. Some of which have never been seen by an audience before. Films shot with little to no funding and in little to no time. I got to watch several short films at the DOA Blood Bath Film Festival that were written, shot and edited all in one weekend. For the most part they were fresh and creative and actually very well done. But again, they were shorts and I think sometimes working on a tight schedule can be effective but not so much in a feature. I'll elaborate more on that in a moment.


This story centers around Bill (Jeff Dylan Graham) who is one very sick puppy. The recent break up with the love of his life has sent him into a tailspin of delusion and madness. Which only intensifies when he wakes up from a drug induced sleep to find a body in his bathtub. He tries desperately to reach his ex-girlfriend Jenny (Katie Walters) for some kind of support. Not being able to reach her just pushes him deeper and deeper into depression. He's pretty much at his breaking point when his long time friend Derrik (Kristian Day) shows up. Bill confides in Derrik about his little visitor in tub and after some discussion, they agree the body should be disposed of before anyone finds out. Unfortunately Jenny shows up before that can happen. Unfortunately for Bill and his friends, the truth is far more complicated than any of them could've predicted.


Let me first start off by saying that Graham is the bright point of this film. His performance was solid and he seemed really immersed in his character which is probably why he took home the award for Best Performance in a Feature. That said, I wasn't at all impressed by the film itself. The twists and turns thrown in to surprise the viewer were completely predictable. I had it figured out within the first 5 minutes. What was meant to be a psychological thriller just came of as bland and even boring at times. Other than a couple of outside shots, the whole film took place inside one small apartment which I'm guessing they were hoping to create a claustrophobic atmosphere but even that didn't really work for me. The score was so irritating it became deafening at times and didn't do anything to enhance the film. You may be asking why I'm being so hard on this film when I took extra steps to be constructive with my criticism of another film from the festival. I'm gonna answer that now...

I can't remember all of what was talked about during the Q&A but it was something about another film, the firing of an actor, a hotel room... Oh and 90 WORDS ON A PAGE! That's right, there was no script for this film at all. Just 90 or so words scribbled in a note pad and 3 days of shooting. And let me tell you, it showed. I seem to also remember some talk of "coming up with something new and different". This is where it gets pretty over the top ridiculous for me. I'm not sure how someone can say they wanted to bring something new to the table when this is clearly a blatant rip off of Adam Green and Joel David Moore's Spiral. From the lead actor's gentle psychosis right down to the hallway shots of the bathroom door. The only difference was Green's film had substance and this one didn't. Then again, I'm not sure how much substance can be reached in a mere 3 day shoot. I'm not a film expert but it doesn't seem to me that Marcus Koch and his team put their best foot forward on this project. I think they were just jazzed to make a film and decided to go with it.

In the end Fell really should've been F-A-I-L. If you're looking for an taut psychological thriller, I'd recommend a viewing of Spiral instead.

Kodie 2010 - REVIEW

Kodie was the final film shown on opening night at the 2nd annual DOA Blood Bath Film Festival so there was a lot of build up. As we were walking around we overheard most of the crowd saying this was the film they were anticipating the most. Of course with all the buzz, we began to get more and more jazzed about it. It's a hard thing being a reviewer sometimes. Especially when it comes to Indie films because you know that these people are probably the hardest working filmmakers out there. They literally dump their heart and soul into each and every project.

David (Jayson Champion) a paranormal investigator, has come to a point in his life where everything he cares about is being ripped away in domestic turmoil. He soon finds himself and his team caught in a world of an enraged murderous little girl named Kodie (Jennifer Stone), in the form of a Teddy bear. Set forth by a witches curse, she rips, eats, dismembers and lays waste to the abusive hearts of the town, leaving them in a pool of red chaos and mangled corpses. Now they must free themselves from the torment of Kodie's ruthless brutal Hell. (Written by Abel Berry)

And this is where it gets hard, on one hand I know that each one of these films were made with little to no funding. On the other hand, I also feel that it doesn't always take an ass load of money to make a great film. I don't want to condemn this film or the filmmaker. I'm not here to make anyone feel like shit. But I'm also not going to adjust my opinion based on the fact that I had a conversation with someone in it. It wouldn't be fair to them or to my readers (yes, I have readers :p).

I would've liked to have seen some further exploration on David's struggle to keep his life from falling apart. That would've connected me more to his character. Instead what we got was a shot of him drowning his sorrows in a bottle while holding a picture of his kid. Then a brief but heated phone conversation with his ex. Digging into that a little deeper would've made his character seem more real.

Another thing that bothered me is that I wasn't sure if they were really going for a comedic feel or not. It was hard to distinguish between what was intentionally funny and what wasn't. Any funny line or scene that came along seemed forced and awkward. For example when David's character was having a beer with Jasper (Abel Berry) there was a good 30 seconds where they just uncomfortably stared at each other. I guess it's entirely possible that it was done on purpose but I felt uneasy just watching it.

In a nut shell, I didn't think the film was great but I do think that Abel Berry is a very talented filmmaker and given the right tools, could really go places. I applaud anyone who has the skill and ambition to bring their vision to life. I wish him luck and look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

Kill Devil Hill 2010 (Short Film) - REVIEW

Synopsis: A short film based on an unsolved crime that triggered a bizarre series of murders through out North Carolina.

Kill Devil Hill is a debut horror short of Robert "Ace" Jordan and focuses on an unsolved crime case from Kill Devil Hills, NC. The 12 minute short follows the Reed family Jamie (Melinda Bennett), Jesse (Taylor Graham) and their children Joey (Aiden Miranda) and James (Hunter Miranda) as they're preparing to call it a night. What transpires is a horrific tale of possession murder. I won't get into the details because I don't want to give away any spoilers.



For a piece that was shot in approximately 37 hours over 3 days it's remarkably well done. The film is put together nicely although in some parts, the transitions are a little long. There's a bit of CGI introduced that could've been left out and not hurt the film at all. What I find incredible is that for a 12 minute piece it had it all. The tension was there, the acting was spot on and Rob Gokee did an awesome score that only served to enhance the tense feel of the film. If I hadn't read ahead of time that it was a first time directing thing, I'd never have known it.



The biggest thing for me is that by the end, I wanted more but not in a bad way. I think it has the potential to make a great full length feature. A little more explanation to what was going on would've been good but it's not something that you absolutely need to get through it. Every aspect of the film is very well done. I hope to see more from the folks over at Jordanfilm Empirical Pictures very soon!

Drive Thru 2007 - REVIEW

Like most of my friends and colleagues, I'm not a horror movie snob. I enjoy the occasional fun film. You know, the typical B-movie full of cheesy one liners and bad jokes. Yes, I thoroughly enjoy films like Sleepaway Camp and the original Piranha but that's because they have that something special. I can't tell you what it is I just know they have it. This one, however, is one of those films I look at and say "How does someone get funding for this CRAP!?" I know so many great writers that have stacks and stacks of scripts sitting on a desk with a stack of denials just as high next to it. I'll be sure and tell them to dumb it way down before submitting it again. I guess it's all about perception and opinion. No doubt not everyone will agree with me all the time. I'm sure there are people out there that actually bought this film, God forbid, because they liked it so much. Rest assured, this will NOT be one you'll find on the shelf at my house.

High schooler Mackenzie Carpenter (Leighton Meester) thinks her biggest problem is dying of boredom in the bucolic wasteland of Orange County... until her classmates start disappearing and Horny The Clown (Van De La Plante), the mascot for local burger favorite HELLA-BURGER, begins madly stalking her. It isn't until Mac discovers her unbelievable connection to Horny and his victims that she realizes, if she's going to live to see 18, she must come face-to-face with the... killer clown in the bloodiest week Blanca Carne, California, has ever known.

Meester gave her same old wooden performance. I swear that girl only has two expressions... pouty and grouchy. I didn't even know who Nicholas D'Agosto was and honestly, after this I still won't. Melora Hardin seemed to put up some kind of effort at least. In a subtle twist of irony, Morgan Spurlock, producer of the documentary Super Size Me made an appearance. No doubt an inside joke referencing how fast food can kill you. I had a hard time believing even bad actors could say all the crappy dialogue with a straight face. The only shining star in the bunch was Lola Glaudini of Criminal Minds fame. According to Criminal Minds spokesperson, Glaudini quit the show saying she didn't like living in LA. Had she actually left, she might not have ended up in such a shitty movie. Hmm, wonder where she is now? Let's have a look....... ahh, a new TV show, Persons Unknown, with that one guy... yeah, he's cute. SHIT... I'm in the middle of a review. Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah, the rest of the cast wasn't memorable in any way and they all died so who cares. (kidding)

Watching this, I kinda felt like I was stuck in Halloween III: Season of the Witch I didn't really wanna watch it but there was this unstoppable force that made me and by the half way point I totally expected brain goo to come seeping out of my eyes. The plot was lame, the script was lamer (is that a word). I'm not sure what Brendan Cowles and Shane Kuhn were thinking when they came up with concept. While there was a good bit of gore and a few somewhat clever kills, there wasn't enough to make up for the abundance of ridiculous things going on. First you have a supernatural killer clown, who I'll admit was a bit on the creepy side, then there's the dried up back story that's way over used. I don't even wanna mention the useless, dimwitted, overweight cop that is constantly chowing on something while there are dead bodies laying at his feet. There are so many TV, movie, music and political references that I lost count. Oh and did I mention that the supernatural killer clown communicates through Ouija Boards, Magic 8 Balls, Etch a Sketches and gumball machines? Yeah...... There are also some major directing or editing errors. Meester's hair is dark brown with burgundy stripes in one shot and in the next shot it's blond. How does that get by? So... so much wrong with this film. And of course the end leaves an opening for a sequel which I've just learned is in production... God help us all. The fact that I sat through this entire shit fest is a testament to my mood and seriously makes me question my judgement. As a matter of fact, the best part of the whole thing was the end where they showed the bloopers. That was more entertaining than the film itself.

I don't normally add taglines and quotes in my reviews but I'm gonna make an exception for this one. The tagline is: At Hella Burger, It Won't Be The Food That Kills You... But You'll Wish It Did. If that's what it takes to unwatch this one, then I'm game. If nothing else, this one could win an award for the dumbest dialogue in a film with this quote: "What's this all got to do with Horny the Clown? I grew up with that lovable son of a bitch. It's kinda like finding out Captain Kangaroo has pieces of Mr. Green Jeans in his freezer." Movie gold my friends... movie gold.

Night of the Demons 2009 - REVIEW

The original Night of the Demons came out when I was 14 and I remember watching it so much I could recite almost every line. Yes, it was a cheese fest of Pont l’Eveque proportions but it was fun. It was the perfect example of how good a low budget film can be. So of course hearing they were remaking it sent me running to the nearest pharmacy for a giant sized tube of blistex to rub on my severely chapped ass.

Maddie Curtis (Monica Keena) and her friends Lily Thompson (Doria Baird) and Suzanne Reed (Bobbi Sue Luther) are ready for a great Halloween night. They're going to a party thrown by their friend Angela Feld (Shannon Elizabeth) at the notorious Broussard Mansion in New Orleans. Over eighty years ago, six people disappeared from the mansion without a trace and the owner, Evangeline Broussard, hung herself. Maddie and Lily run into their exes, Colin Levy (Edward Furlong) and Dex Thrilby (Michael Copon), while Suzanne parties it up. Good times end, however, when the police bust up the party. After the rest of the guests leave, Angela, Maddie, Lily, Dex, Colin, Suzanne and their friend Jason Rogers (John F. Beach) discover a horrible secret. Their cell phones don't work. The mansion gates are now mysteriously locked. Soon it becomes clear that supernatural forces are at work at the Broussard Mansion, and that there may be more to the tale of Evangeline Broussard than anyone knew. As it turns out the Broussard Mansion really is home to something evil, demons that need to possess seven vessels to break free of an ancient curse. One by one the guests fall victim, transforming into hideous creatures.

The script wasn't anything overly fantastic but the cast does a decent job at picking up the slack. I'm not a huge fan of Edward Furlong and now I remember why. He was such a better actor when he was younger... you know, when he actually tried instead of just showing up to collect a paycheck. You'd think the overweight drug addict/dealer would come a little more natural to him but alas, it seemed he spent more time trying to yank up his pants than actually focusing on his character. Speaking of drug dealers, what was up with the foreign drug lord? I didn't get it AT ALL. Linnea Quigley, Suzanne from the original, made a cameo or at least her cooch did anyway. While there really wasn't any one performance that stood out for me I think they all did a decent job with what they were given. And low and behold, who did I spy with my little eye?? None other than Victor freaking Crowley! I had to rewind it to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

Adam Gierasch said from the get go, he wanted to make a film that he would've wanted to watch as a teenager. If that's the case, I guess he pulled it off. The original was a pretty cheesy teen film and this one follows suit. It's what some would categorize as a party film. Gierasch and Jace Anderson stuck pretty close to the original only veering off in a few places. They kept the infamous lipstick scene and even went so far as to ramp it up a bit. The effects for the most part were pretty good. The first couple of demons were pretty bad ass and there's a face rip that rivals others I've seen. I don't think fans of the original will be disappointed, as far as remakes go, this is one of the better ones.

Clowns, Curses and Everything in Between an Interview with Jeremy C. Shipp

Jeremy C. Shipp is an American novelist and short story writer of Bizarro fiction and horror. He's been published (or will be published) in Cemetery Dance, ChiZine, Apex Magazine, Pseudopod, Withersin and most recently in Brain Harvest. He's been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for his novel, Cursed. And best of all, he is one of the nicest, most down to earth guys there is. Whether you're chatting with him on Twitter or friending him on Facebook he always gives 110% to the conversation. Shipp lives in Southern California in a moderately haunted Victorian farmhouse called Rose Cottage with his wife and cats. He also has a legion of yard gnomes and some creepy attic clowns.

This was my very first interview and I was super lucky for it to be with Jeremy. He's an all around nice guy who makes you feel at ease when talking with him. Read below for our little chat and be sure to check out his website!

TC: When did you fall in love with this type of writing, i.e. horror, fantasy?

JCS: I loved horror and fantasy storytelling as far back as I can remember. Even as a kid, my brothers and I would play make believe and our recurring characters included the Grim Reaper, a mummy, and a floating mouth that could eat people and send them to various dimensions like the one where giant worms rule the world. In fourth grade, I wrote my first full length short story. It was about a green alien named Chomper who liked to eat everything around him. He also had an affinity for opera.

TC: What was the first story you ever had published?

JCS: My first published story was called “Love Thy Demon.” The story was dark and funny and twisted, and also not very good.

TC: How has your success with writing affected your personal life?

JCS: Now when a family member asks me “Any good news?” instead of saying “Nope” I usually have something good to report.

TC: How much research goes into each book/short story?

JCS: For novels like Vacation and Cursed, I research so much that my brain ends up going supernova. I research less for my short stories, although I am a bit obsessive, so even if I’m writing an absurd story about a zombie polar bear, I’ll spend way too much time researching polar bears.

TC: Are any of your characters based on real life people?

JCS: None of my characters are exactly like anyone I know. However, I sometimes imbue my characters with personality traits that remind me of real people. For instance, Nicholas from Cursed uses lists to create order out of the chaos of his life, the way that I do from time to time.

TC: What inspires you most when you write?

JCS: My family, my friends, my cats, strangers I overhear on the street, world events, dreams. Most of my inspiration though comes from a magical tap-dancing troll who lives in my spleen.

TC: How do you feel about being categorized as a "Bizarro" writer?

JCS: I love writing and reading weird fiction, and so it’s a pleasure to be a part of the Bizarro fiction movement. If anyone reading this would like to learn more about Bizarro, I’d recommend visiting this site: bizarrocentral.com.

TC: Can you give us a hint of what you’re currently working on?

JCS: Primarily, I’m working on a middle grade fantasy novel and a new horror story collection. I’m also trying to organize a civil war reenactment in my garden with yard gnomes and coconut monkeys. Not as easy as it sounds.

TC: Has there been any mention of a book to screen adaptation of any of your work?

JCS: There is a story to stage musical adaptation in the works. The musical is based on my short story “Nightmare Man.” In addition, there is some interest in a film adaptation of Cursed, so fingers and toes crossed.

TC: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

JCS: I enjoy hiking in the hills, playing the piano, yakking with yard gnomes, burying my brain in books, moving mangoes with my mind (and fingers).

TC: I'm sure EVERY writer at some point has had to deal with rejection. For other aspiring writers out there, can you tell us how you handled rejection?

JCS: At the beginning of my career, rejection letters were painful for me. I took them personally because I was seeking validation from others, rather than building up my esteem from within. Once I learned that I didn’t need anyone to validate my writing in order for my writing to be worthy, then rejections didn’t bother me anymore. Ultimately, I used all my early rejection letter to construct a papier-mâché statue of Buddy from Charles in Charge. Very empowering.

TC: What are some of your favorite movies or books?

JCS: A few of my favorite books: The God of Small Things, Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Giver, A Clockwork Orange, Slaughterhouse-Five, Original Wisdom, Wicked, Let the Right One In, Kafka on the Shore, Holes. Some of my favorite movies: Oldboy, The Happiness of the Katakuris, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Dead Alive, Memento, The City of Lost Children, Lagaan, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.

TC: Any chance that you'll be doing a book tour around Dallas?

JCS: I did a signing in Dallas a couple years back, when I was visiting the set of Egg, the short film I wrote. I’d love to tour Dallas sometime soon. Oh, and you can watch Egg in its entirety here.

TC: What advice do you have for new writers?

JCS: Write every day. Write even when writing is the last thing in the world you feel like doing.

TC: As I was reading Sheep and Wolves, a little tennis ball came randomly rolling by. Any chance I missed some fine print about receiving a free yard gnome with every purchase?

JCS: Owning a copy of any of my books tends to attract yard gnomes as well as anthropomorphic onions. Be warned: these onions will make you cry. They tell such sad stories.

You can visit his website by clicking here.

You can check out and order some of his works here.

Thanks once again to Jeremy for being such a gracious guest!